(Newser)
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ObamaCare must surely offend John Roberts' conservative sensibilities, writes Charles Krauthammer, so why the stunning court ruling? Because as chief justice, Roberts "sees himself as uniquely entrusted with the custodianship of the court's legitimacy," Krauthammer theorizes in the Washington Post. If the justices struck down the law, it would have been seen as a judicial power grab, and Roberts is sensitive to the charge. (Krauthammer blames the "liberal Warren and Burger courts" for starting the "arrogation of power" slide, particularly with Roe v. Wade.)

Roberts found himself a legal compromise by labeling the mandate a tax. Krauthammer thinks it's "a dodge, and a flimsy one at that," and he suspects Roberts would have ruled differently had he not been chief justice. The result, though, is that ObamaCare lives, and the only way it gets killed now is if the US elects a new president and Congress to repeal it. "That’s undoubtedly what Roberts is telling the nation: Your job, not mine. I won’t make it easy for you." Read Krauthammer's full column here. Or check out another theory on what Roberts might be up to.

That smile is a little too smug-looking for me. It has an aura of "Oh, what a good boy am I!" Roberts has complied with the sanctimony of the left, that self-righteous love of inflicting themselves on other people. So now he's all set to go out to cocktail parties and be lionized by all the closet Stalinists in D.C. He sold his soul for a mess of potty.

KeyserSoze

Jun 29, 2012 10:00 PM CDT

I demand to see Justice Roberts birth certificate :)

Fronteir94600

Jun 29, 2012 7:58 PM CDT

Republicans prefer others to to do their (GOP) dirty work. All you see is Mitt never taking responsibility for anything.